Little black dress names!

oooooh, niteowl. I can’t believe we didn’t think of [name]Audrey[/name].

[name]Augusta[/name]: thanks for your thorough responses! This has been fun. :slight_smile: I think [name]Christine[/name] is an LBD because she’s common enough but very classic and understated, yet elegant. I live in an area that has a lot of [name]Asian[/name] Americans and I meet a [name]Christine[/name] about once a week. :slight_smile: Many of them are very classy, quiet, but strong ladies.

I definitely like [name]Claire[/name] better than [name]Clara[/name], but I think both are fine. :slight_smile:

Time for a round-up! The girls’ names most agreed upon are as follows.

[name]Alice[/name]
[name]Anna[/name]
[name]Anne[/name]
[name]Claire[/name]/[name]Clara[/name]
[name]Eve[/name]
[name]Grace[/name]
[name]Jane[/name]
[name]Kate[/name]
[name]Rose[/name]
[name]Audrey[/name]
[name]Sarah[/name]
[name]Rachel[/name]
[name]Rebecca[/name]
[name]Marie[/name]
[name]Catherine[/name]
[name]Elle[/name]/[name]Ellen[/name]
[name]Lena[/name]
[name]Elise[/name]
[name]Bella[/name]/[name]Belle[/name]
[name]Mae[/name]/[name]May[/name]
[name]Tess[/name]
[name]Helen[/name]
[name]Celeste[/name]
[name]Lily[/name]
[name]Emma[/name]

YMMV on [name]Sophie[/name], [name]Lucy[/name], and [name]Victoria[/name], all of which were suggested more than once but seem just a little frilly for little black dress status.

I would lobby for the addition of [name]Eden[/name], [name]Adele[/name], and [name]Quinn[/name].

There’s been less input regarding the boys’ version of this list, but suggested names are as follows.

[name]John[/name]
[name]David[/name]
[name]Thomas[/name]
[name]Henry[/name]
[name]William[/name]
[name]Jack[/name]
[name]Daniel[/name]
[name]Jonathan[/name]
[name]Edward[/name]
[name]Michael[/name]
[name]Andrew[/name]
[name]Robert[/name]
[name]Simon[/name]
[name]Matthew[/name]
[name]Joseph[/name]
[name]Peter[/name]
[name]Mark[/name]
[name]Harry[/name]
[name]Charles[/name]
[name]Jack[/name]
[name]Walter[/name]
[name]Andrew[/name]
[name]Leo[/name]
[name]Benjamin[/name]
[name]Philip[/name]

So does little black dress mean sophisticated or pretty, but safe and comfortable?
The reason that I think that mid century favorites and current Mom names are little black dress is because they are pretty and sometimes quite popular. Like a little black dress that you love to wear. A go-to type of name that lots of people like.
Some others that I thought of that you might like:
[name]Kimberly[/name]
[name]Caitlin[/name]
[name]Miranda[/name]
[name]Sabrina[/name]
[name]Serena[/name]
[name]Natasha[/name]
Someone mentioned [name]Christine[/name], but I think [name]Christina[/name] works better.
[name]Vanessa[/name]
[name]Valerie[/name]
[name]Vivian[/name]/[name]Vivienne[/name]

I think the definition of a little black dress name, as I understand it, is a name that has a simple, classic, straightforward sound, and most importantly a great deal of versatility. An LBDN never really sounds dated. An LBDN can belong to a baby or an octogenerian, a teenager or a middle-aged person, a bus driver or a neurosurgeon, a model or a priest. It’s a name anyone can make their own, but the name itself is also imbued with confidence and strength – just like the perfect little black dress!

This is a really interesting thread. [name]How[/name] do you all feel about [name]Jill[/name]? I feel like she’s incredibly versatile, unquestionably feminine, but conveys strength. I’ve met Jills ranging from preschool to little old ladies, with varied personalities, interests, etc.

I can’t believe I didn’t think of [name]Jill[/name]! [name]Jill[/name] is absolutely an LBD. She’s right up there with [name]Jane[/name] and [name]Kate[/name].

[name]Glad[/name] to see this thread and that I inspired it. I do love that original post. I would add that the “little black dress” as originally defined in that blog post at least was suppose to be “little”. That’s why [name]Elizabeth[/name] hadn’t made her original list though she did sneak [name]Katherine[/name] in because [name]Kate[/name] is such a great LBD name.

What I really like about the LBD name, is that the girl wears the name rather than the name wearing the girl.

I think it’s too soon to push [name]Laura[/name] off the list. For the boys, [name]James[/name] should definitely make the list.

I’m afraid I don’t agree with you in regards to [name]Emily[/name]. [name]Emily[/name] has quite a rich history, and I can see her on a little girl, a sophisticated businesswoman, a legal eagle AND a brain surgeon! She is quite versatile, as is [name]Emma[/name].

I would put [name]Emily[/name] on the list. I’d take off [name]Celeste[/name], [name]Bella[/name] and [name]Rebecca[/name].

I think I have a different idea of “little” than YouCan’tCallItIt. For instance, [name]Philomena[/name], [name]Aurelian[/name], and [name]Elizabeth[/name] all have four syllables, but of the three [name]Elizabeth[/name] seems sleek, petite, and classic while [name]Philomena[/name] and [name]Aurelian[/name] are as ostentatious as they come. [name]Clementine[/name] and [name]Catherine[/name] both share a syllable count and a first letter, but [name]Clementine[/name] has oodles of flounce while [name]Catherine[/name] is quiet and sweet. [name]Ambrose[/name] is as short as [name]Ellen[/name], but they’re worlds apart. See what I mean? I don’t think the “little” in “little black dress” is as much about the length of the gown as it is about style and versatility.

[name]Laura[/name] still sounds dated to me, but she certainly has an august history and she does have that sleek sound. [name]How[/name] about [name]Lara[/name]? And I can’t believe we forgot [name]James[/name]! He’s the ultimate little black tie name.

I give in! [name]Emily[/name]'s back on the list. She still sounds like a little girl to me, though. :stuck_out_tongue:

[name]Emily[/name] is back on the list. I’ll give you [name]Bella[/name], but why not [name]Celeste[/name] and [name]Rebecca[/name]? [name]Celeste[/name] especially seems incredibly sleek, chic, and classic. Is it her whiff of Frenchness?

Too sparkly for a [name]Little[/name] [name]Black[/name] Dress. [name]Rebecca[/name] too religious. [name]Little[/name] [name]Black[/name] Dress names should be only classics, the names that work when nothing else does.

[name]Black[/name] Tie names:
[name]Colin[/name] - [name]Colin[/name] [name]Firth[/name]
[name]Alexander[/name]
[name]Vincent[/name]
[name]Julian[/name]
[name]Sebastian[/name]
[name]Malcolm[/name]
[name]Quentin[/name]
[name]Graham[/name]
[name]Gregory[/name]
[name]Gabriel[/name]
[name]Theodore[/name]
[name]Dominic[/name]
[name]Frederick[/name]
[name]Lawrence[/name]
[name]Joel[/name]
[name]Samuel[/name]
[name]Christopher[/name]
[name]Christian[/name]
[name]Richard[/name] - makes me think of [name]Tom[/name] Selleck on Friends
[name]Roger[/name] - makes me think of [name]Roger[/name] [name]Moore[/name] - 007
[name]Bruce[/name] - makes me think of Batman - [name]Bruce[/name] [name]Wayne[/name]
[name]Bradley[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name]
[name]Miles[/name]

I don’t think [name]Mark[/name] belongs.

[name]Rachel[/name] is on the list and it’s a Bible name.

I think that if we’re going with mostly names of European extraction, a lot of them are going to have overt or explicit religious connotations. [name]Rachel[/name] and [name]Rebecca[/name] both seem like trim, solid classics to me. On that note, what about [name]Leah[/name]? I’ve mentioned her before, and I do think she qualifies. She really is “little” but she seems to pack quite an august history into those four letters. Plus I’ve seen her worn by infants, teenagers, and grandmothers. The real question: [name]LAY[/name]-ah or [name]LEE[/name]-ah?

I would be a little more conservative. Here is my list:

[name]Alice[/name]
[name]Anna[/name]
[name]Anne[/name]
[name]Claire[/name]/[name]Clara[/name]
[name]Eve[/name]
[name]Grace[/name]
[name]Jane[/name]
[name]Kate[/name]
[name]Rose[/name]
[name]Audrey[/name]
[name]Sarah[/name]
[name]Rachel[/name]
[name]Rebecca[/name]
[name]Marie[/name]
[name]Catherine[/name]
[name]Elle[/name]/[name]Ellen[/name]
[name]Belle[/name]
[name]Mae[/name]/[name]May[/name]
[name]Helen[/name]
[name]Emma[/name]

I would take off the following:
[name]Celeste[/name]
[name]Lily[/name]
[name]Tess[/name]
[name]Elise[/name]
[name]Lena[/name]
[name]Bella[/name]

They just don’t seem true classics to me.

What about the following:

[name]Paige[/name]
[name]Julia[/name]
[name]Caroline[/name]
[name]Laura[/name] - she has remained in the top 100 for years and years along with [name]Anna[/name], [name]Rachel[/name] and [name]Rebecca[/name]. Not dated, more timeless to me.

Girls: I disagree with [name]Grace[/name], [name]Tess[/name], and [name]Celeste[/name]. I think the earlier suggestion of [name]Diana[/name] is appropriate though. And [name]Leah[/name] (lee-ah) works.

Boys: I would add [name]Christopher[/name] and [name]Joshua[/name] =]

Girls: I disagree with [name]Grace[/name], [name]Tess[/name], and [name]Celeste[/name]. [name]Ellen[/name] can stay, but not [name]Elle[/name]. [name]Belle[/name] might be allowed, but not [name]Bella[/name].
I think the earlier suggestion of [name]Diana[/name] is appropriate though. And I would say [name]Leah[/name] (lee-ah) works better than [name]Laura[/name].

Boys: I would add [name]Christopher[/name] and [name]Joshua[/name] =]

Agree with adding [name]Alexander[/name], [name]Christopher[/name], [name]Samuel[/name], [name]Oliver[/name], [name]Colin[/name], [name]Frederick[/name], [name]Richard[/name] & [name]Christian[/name]. All solid classics. The others seem dated to one decade or another, or are very current.

Also, wouldn’t have [name]Walter[/name] on there. Although classic it still seems like an old man name -it’s not ‘essential’ and timeless like, say, [name]Jack[/name] or [name]Peter[/name].